Grey Skies, Blue Skies, and Lots of Bling

Grey skies are gonna clear up....

...and I'm so happy they did! We had a rather damp and chilly week. Fortunately, that all turned around on Friday, making way for warm temps and lots of sunshine, and a busy, bling-filled weekend!

Here's what went down...

Monday. As predicted, the air was foggy and misting when I rose from my slumber. Having been on vacay the entire previous week, I knew my day at the office would be crazy and busy and crazy busy (get the picture?), so I knew I would not feel like doing anything at the end of the day or evening. I also knew the forecast was calling for heavier rain throughout the day and into the evening. Well, alrighty then. I quickly pulled on some running gear (and grabbed my pretty pink jacket) and headed outside before I could change my mind. Never miss a Monday, that's how I roll. #nevermissaMonday

Attractive, huh! Doesn't everybody rock a rainy hood over their head?

Tuesday. Even though my weekend's two runs (a 10-miler on Saturday and an easy 2-mile shakeout run on Sunday) had gone well, my hips were feeling a bit on the funky side. Nothing painful, but strained. Tuesdays usually are low-key recovery days anyways (although sometimes, I add a stair workout if my Wednesday schedule is gonna be crazy). With the Fight for Air Climb happening a few days later (on Sunday), I elected to declare a stair-climbing taper. Seriously, why not? At this point in time, I had nothing to gain by running any more stairs....and there's always a risk of injury, why take a chance and have a possible injury happen this close to Climb day? Thus, all that happened (in addition to my daily April challenge exercises) was a brisk cardio session (power walk) with Max. Trust me, we were probably walking faster than most people jog. 

Fun times with Max

Wednesday. Nothing. Zippo. Zilch. Total rest day (except for the April stuff). And the dreary weather continued...but take a look at the awesome (in my opinion) pic I captured of the grey skies with the red traffic lights.That would not have happened on a sunshiny day.

I love the contrast of the red traffic lights with the grey sky...

Thursday. Ahhhh, after almost three complete days of little-to-no activity, I felt completely ready to hit the road. My friend, Barb, and I rallied, and met up for our #5at5 (5 miles at 5 a.m.), and it was incredible. The temps were still cool (in the high 30's), and the air still felt a bit damp. Oh, did I mention the 15mph wind? But we had a beautiful clear sky, and we ran steady and with ease. The three easy days (Monday-Wednesday) were well worth it. 

Another successful #5at5

Friday. Another day of moderate rest (well, there was another crazy power walk with Max...). Ahhh...the temps were back to where they should be (mid-60's) and we had sunshine! I had to shoot my #fashionFriday pic outside because the green grass was so beautiful! (Are you following me on Instagram and Pinterest? Post a #fashionFriday pic and tag me!)

I'm loving the color combo of the turquoise, teal, and green grass...and the pop of red in the scarf adds a fun touch

Saturday. This day took some planning. I was registered for a local race, the Live Healthy Iowa 5K (there were 9 locations in the state hosting a 5K, and one of them was in my hometown #score). I also was hoping to get a 10-mile training run done. I had thought of doing the 5K, then heading back out for the additional seven miles, but I wasn't that crazy about stopping then starting back up for a distance that would be twice as far. Also, although I am not a fan of the 5K distance for racing (ugh...a 3-mile sprint? NO thanks...it usually takes me that long to get warmed up LOL), I was curious just how fast I could run it (I knew it was a flat course). Then, I had a #lightbulb moment....

Make those "first three miles" work for you!

Why not do a 3-mile warm-up run before the 5K? Then, I could do a few stretches and dynamic drills before the start line, and have at it? Years ago, a friend gave me the suggestion to do a warm-up run before a 5K....an easy warm-up run, just to get the muscles loosened up and the body warmed up. She reminded me that a 5K distance is relatively short for a distance runner, but often times we need those 3 miles (or more) to get in a rhythm. If we run the warm-up at an easy pace, we'll be warmed up (with all the kinks worked out) and will still have plenty of energy for the actual race itself. Barb was on board with this strategy, so we met up at the race site at 7:00, and did those three miles. At race time, we crossed the start line, ready for action! 

Both Barb and the hubby joined me for this 5K adventure

I'm not going to do a recap, so I'll give you a brief summary...it went well! I ran one of my fastest 5K's ever, finishing in 26:31. Mind you, that also was with a powerful 25mph wind out of the SE and without my music (sadly, the Ipod got left behind at home, still charging #oops).  My Garmin putzed out on me at the 1-mile mark (or I may have hit a foreign button), so my distance showed 2.14...almost like the entire first mile never happened (WHAT???). Barb and I headed out and did four extra miles after the awards...and opted to head to the lake, where we had a bit of shelter from the wind. Total miles for the day--->10!

Sunday. Remember all of that stair training I've been doing this spring? Well, it wasn't just because I love stair climbing, it also was prepping my body for the Fight for Air Climb. This was my sixth time tackling a stair climb event for the American Lung Association (and my fifth consecutive year of doing the Des Moines venue). All went well! Stay tuned...the full recap is in the works!

Another Fight for Air Climb done!

In other news: 

I have been having some slight hip "tenderness." My hunch is it's time for new running shoes, at least for my long distance training runs. I have been at a crossroads as what to do....I've been wearing Brooks Adrenalines GTS (both the 15's and 16's) for the past 20 months. I love both versions, but the I loved the 15's a tiny bit more. Before the Brooks, I was loving Mizuno Wave Inspires. I started in the WI 8's, skipped a couple of new models, and most recently was wearing the 11's. Again, I liked them...but the originals (the 8's) were total perfection. Well, I've decided to give the Wave Inspires another go...and brought these pretty babies home on Saturday.  

  

Aren't they pretty?

Ever given your dog a bath, you know, just because...and were astounded by how much dirt was left in the bath tub? Wow. And to think this little guy has been snuggling on my bed pillow.... 

post-bath, I caught him going crazy on the couch

...and speaking of April goals, I came up with a few daily challenges to keep me active, accountable, and (hopefully) injury-free. So far, I've done well doing these everyday, and there have been some days when I've done a few extras (additional minutes of foam rolling on my running days, for example). 

Care to join me?

A hugely popular Instagram post last week was a "repost" of one of my original chalk drawings. This was how I announced to the world when I decided to register for my first marathon (spring 2013).

In case you missed them, here's my blog posts from last week:

A Whirlwind Week

My Take on Victory

Half Full or Half Empty

Anyways, enough about me. How was your week? Have you had some grey skies as well? Have you ever taken an extra rest day, and were rewarded for it by having a great run or race? Ever done a warm-up run before a start line?

As usual, I'm linking up with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap

and Ilka and Angela for the Sunday Fitness & Food Linkup